JP4698215B2 - Electrical device assembly and storage box structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrical device assembly in which a plurality of electrical devices having electrical device elements that store and output electrical energy typified by batteries and capacitors (capacitors) are assembled and arranged in a storage box. The present invention also relates to a storage box structure usable for such an electric device assembly.

  In recent years, for example, a lightweight and small battery has been developed as a power source for driving a motor of an electric vehicle. An example of this type of battery will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the battery pack disclosed in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the battery pack 150 includes a plurality of battery cells 120 and a storage box 130 for storing the battery cells 120, and the battery cells 120 are electrically connected to each other. A predetermined electromotive force according to the number of 120 is obtained. Between the upper surface of the storage box 130 and the battery cell 120, an elastic member 162 made of, for example, a coil spring is disposed as a vibration isolating means. By disposing the elastic member 162, vibration in the illustrated vertical direction (cell thickness direction) input from the outside and transmitted to the battery cell 120 is attenuated.

Although not shown in FIG. 6, the tip side of each electrode tab 125 is fixed to, for example, a bus bar for voltage extraction, so that the battery cell 120 vibrates means that the electrode tab 125 vibrates. . Such vibration of the electrode tab 125 increases the resistance of the electrode tab 125 or causes fatigue failure of the tab. On the other hand, in the configuration of FIG. 6, the vibration of the battery cell 120 itself is suppressed by the action of the elastic member 162. As a result, the electrical characteristics of the electrode tab 125 are hardly deteriorated or damaged. .
JP 2003-257391 A

  However, in the configuration of FIG. 6, the effect of providing the elastic member 162 can be obtained with respect to the vibration of the battery cell 120 in the vertical direction in the drawing (in other words, the displacement of the cell). In the case of displacement in the illustrated lateral direction (tab width direction), there is still a possibility that the electrode tab 125 is damaged. That is, for example, when a lateral impact force is applied to the entire battery pack 150, each battery cell 120 is displaced in the lateral direction, but the electrode tab 125 is held by the bus bar at the tip side, so the battery As the cell 120 is displaced, the electrode tab 125 is pulled, and as a result, the electrode tab 125 may be partially plastically deformed or torn.

  As described above, the battery cell 121 used as a battery has been described as an example. However, the above problem is that the electrical device configured as a capacitor or the like is accommodated in the storage box, and the electrode tab of each electrical device is a bus bar or the like. This is also a problem that may occur in the same manner in an electric device assembly having a structure that is fixedly held in the device.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical device assembly in which a plurality of electrical devices from which sheet-like electrode tabs are drawn are assembled and disposed in a storage box, and the impact force in the width direction of the electrode tabs on the electrical devices. An object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable electrical device assembly in which the electrode tab is not easily damaged even when the contact is applied. Another object of the present invention is to provide a storage box structure usable for such an electric device assembly.

  In order to achieve the above object, an electrical device assembly according to the present invention is configured to accommodate an electrical device in which sheet-like electrode tabs are drawn from both sides of an outer peripheral portion and a plurality of the stacked electrical devices. And a storage box in which an opening for extending the electrode tab toward the outside is formed in a part of a peripheral wall, and the electrode that is formed longer than the width of the electrode tab and extends from the opening. An electric device having a tab support plate supporting a tip end side of the tab, the tab support plate being attached to the peripheral wall of the storage box so as to cross the opening in the width direction of the electrode tab In the assembly, the tab support plate is configured to be relatively movable in the width direction of the electrode tab with respect to the peripheral wall of the storage box.

  According to such a configuration, the tab support plate that supports the tip side of the electrode tab is movable relative to the peripheral wall of the storage box in the width direction of the tab. When the electric device is moved in the tab width direction by applying an impact force in the tab width direction, the tab support plate is moved in the same direction accordingly. Accordingly, the tab is less likely to be damaged due to the electrode tab being pulled as in the conventional configuration.

  The structure that enables relative movement between the tab support plate and the case peripheral wall may be as follows. That is, a long hole whose longitudinal direction is the width direction of the electrode tab is formed at both ends of the tab support plate, and the electrical device assembly further includes the tab support plate on the peripheral wall in addition to the above components. You may have the shaft member passed through the said elongate hole for attachment, and the urging member which urges | biases the said tab support plate toward the said surrounding wall side. The biasing member may be a coil spring fitted in the shaft member. In this case, the electric device assembly further includes a washer between the coil spring and the tab support plate. Also good. The tab support plate may be, for example, a conductive material. The electrical device is configured to store and output electrical energy, and forms an electrical device element to which the electrode tab is electrically connected, and a sealed space for housing the electrical device element. It may have an exterior film and a frame that holds the peripheral edge of the exterior film, and in this case, the outer periphery of the frame is configured to fit inside the storage box. It is preferable.

  In addition, the storage box structure of the present invention is configured to store a plurality of electric devices in which sheet-like electrode tabs are drawn from both sides of the outer peripheral portion in a stacked state, and the electrode tabs face outward. A storage box in which an opening for extending the electrode tab is formed in a part of the peripheral wall, and a tab support that is formed longer than the width of the electrode tab and supports the tip side of the electrode tab extending from the opening And the tab support plate is mounted on the peripheral wall of the storage box so as to cross the opening in the width direction of the electrode tab of the electrical device disposed in the storage box. In the box structure, the tab support plate is configured to be relatively movable in the width direction of the electrode tab with respect to the peripheral wall of the storage box while supporting the electrode tab. That. According to the storage box structure configured in this way, a plurality of electrical devices can be accommodated in the storage box so as to be used as the electrical device assembly of the present invention.

  As described above, according to the electrical device assembly of the present invention, the tab support plate supporting the tip side of the electrode tab is configured to be movable in the width direction of the electrode tab. Even when the impact force in the direction is applied, the electrode tab is not easily damaged, and as a result, the electrical device assembly can be highly reliable. Moreover, the storage box structure of the present invention can be suitably used as the electric device assembly of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an electric device assembly according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking a battery pack as an example. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the battery pack of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the battery cell in a single state.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the battery pack 50 according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of (for example, twelve) battery cells 20 that are gathered so as to overlap each other, a case 31 for housing them, and a side wall of the case 31. And a plurality of tab support plates 45 attached thereto.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the battery cell 20 alone is obtained by sealing and sealing a thin battery element 23 (electric device element) that outputs a predetermined electromotive force (for example, 3.6 V) with an exterior film 24. Although not shown in detail, a sealing portion in which the films are heat-sealed to each other is formed on the peripheral portion of the exterior film 24, and from the sealing portion, both are sheet-like electrode tabs 25 a for positive electrodes. And the electrode tab 25b for negative electrodes is pulled out. A frame body 21 made of, for example, a resin molded product is attached to the peripheral edge portion of the exterior film 24. The frame body 21 has a rectangular outline shape, and the electrode tabs 25 a and 25 b (hereinafter also simply referred to as “electrode tab 25”) are drawn out from the short sides of the frame body 21.

  Since the frame body 21 is attached, the handleability of the battery cell 20 alone is improved, and since the frame body 21 also functions as a reinforcing member, the battery element 23 and the exterior film 24 are hardly damaged. Become. Furthermore, in the configuration in which the plurality of battery cells 20 are overlapped as in the present embodiment, it is preferable that the frame bodies 21 of the adjacent battery cells 20 are in contact with each other. Thereby, the dimensional accuracy of the final outer shape when the battery cells 20 are overlaid can be increased.

  Referring again to FIG. 1, the case 31 is an integral member made of a resin molded product, and an inlet 38 for inserting the plurality of battery cells 20 into the case is formed. Note that a lid (not shown) is attached to the loading port 38, and in this embodiment, the lid and the case 31 constitute a storage box.

  An opening 36 is formed in the side wall 35 which is a part of the peripheral wall of the case 31, and the electrode tab 25 of each battery cell 20 in the case 31 extends from the opening 36 toward the outside of the case. It is like that. Further, fitting portions 39 are formed at four corners inside the case, and the fitting portions 39 are configured to be fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the frame body 21 of the battery cell 21. That is, when the battery cell 20 is inserted into the case 31, the fitting portion 39 of the case 31 and the outer peripheral portion of the frame body 21 are fitted, thereby restricting the movement of the battery cell 20 in the two-dimensional direction. It is like that.

  Next, the electrical connection between the battery cells 20 in the battery pack 50 and the tab support plate 45 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG. 3 is a top view of the plurality of battery cells shown in FIG. 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of battery cells 20 are alternately arranged in opposite directions so as to be connected in series. Specifically, the electrode tab 25a (positive electrode) and the other electrode tab 25b (negative electrode) of one battery cell 20 are overlapped at the tip side, and the overlapping portion of the electrode tabs is formed by a tab support plate 45. Fixedly supported.

  The tab support plate 45 is made of a conductive metal plate, and is formed longer than the width of the electrode tab 25 as shown in FIG. The tab support plate 45 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof is the width direction (vertical direction in the figure) of the electrode tab 25, and both ends thereof are attached to the side wall 35 of the case.

  More specifically, the tab support plate 45 and the overlapping portion of the electrode tabs are joined to each other by laser welding or the like. In this state, the electrode tabs 25a and 25b are electrically connected to each other, and the tab support plate 45, which is a conductive material, is also energized. Thus, the tab support plate 45 in the energized state can be used as a voltage extraction terminal for each battery cell 20. For example, a predetermined electric circuit can be connected to each of the tab support plates 45 to manage the voltage of each battery cell 20, or when an abnormality occurs in one battery cell 20, the entire circuit is A fuse can be provided for each battery cell 20 so as not to be damaged.

  Next, a structure for attaching the tab support plate 45 to the case side wall will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the upper side of the battery pack 50 of FIG. 1, in which bolts and the like for attaching the tab support plate are depicted. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the tab support plate is attached to the case side wall.

  A long hole 45a is formed at both ends (only one is shown in FIG. 4) of each tab support plate 45, and the longitudinal direction of the long hole 45a is the same as the width direction of the electrode tab. A stepped bolt 61 is passed through the elongated hole 45 a, and a coil spring 62 and a washer 63 are fitted into the stepped bolt 61 coaxially with the stepped bolt 61. ing. As shown in FIG. 5, when the stepped bolt 61 is attached to the side wall 35, the coil spring 62 is contracted, and the urging force of the coil spring 62 generated thereby biases the tab support plate 45 toward the side wall 35. . The urging force at this time is set within a range in which the tab support plate 45 can be moved up and down accordingly when the battery cell 20 is moved in the vertical direction (tab width direction) in the figure by some impact force, for example. .

  According to such a configuration, the tab support plate 45 supporting the electrode tab 25 can also be moved in the vertical direction in accordance with the vertical movement of the battery cell 20, so that it is difficult to apply a tensile load to the electrode tab. The electrode tab is less likely to break.

  As described above, the battery cell 20 is disposed so as to be fitted in the case 31, and basically the movement in the vertical direction is restricted. Therefore, the electrode tab caused by the displacement of the battery cell 20 is used. The problem of breakage of 25 is relatively less likely to occur. However, the battery cell 20 may be momentarily displaced greatly due to, for example, an impact in a car accident. As described above, it is preferable that the electrode tab 25 is not easily damaged even when the battery cell is largely displaced in view of further improving the reliability of the battery pack 50.

  When the coil spring 62 is used as in the present embodiment, the end of the spring may be caught in the long hole. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the washer is interposed between the coil spring 62 and the tab support plate 45. 63 is preferably arranged. Further, since the washer 63 is arranged, the urging force from the coil spring 62 is transmitted to the tab support plate 45 via the washer 63, and as a result, the urging force is uniformly applied to the tab support plate 45. Can be given.

  In the configuration of FIG. 4, a metal bar 55 (shown by a broken line) can be disposed on the side wall 35 of the case. The metal bar 55 is used as a voltage extraction electrode different from the tab support plate 45. The configuration of the present embodiment in which the tab support plate 45 is pressed against the side wall 35 is particularly advantageous when such a metal bar 55 is disposed. In other words, it is possible to ensure the close contact between the tab support plate 45 and the metal bar 55 and to improve the reliability of the electrical connection between the two members.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described with reference to FIGS. 1-5, this invention is not limited to them. In particular, the structure for making the tab support plate 45 movable in the vertical direction can be variously changed. For example, in the present embodiment, the stepped bolt 61 (see FIG. 4) is used as a member that passes through the elongated hole 45a, but instead of the stepped bolt 61, it is formed integrally with the case 31 and protrudes from the side wall 35. A shaft member (not shown) can also be used. That is, it is only necessary that the shaft member engages with the long hole 45a of the tab support plate, and the tab support plate 45 can be moved in the vertical direction by this engagement. In the configuration of FIG. 4, the coil spring 62 is provided on each of the tab support plates 45. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of tab support plates 45 are collectively biased toward the case side wall. A force member can also be used.

  In the present embodiment described above, a metal material is selected as the material for the convenience of using the tab support plate 45 as a voltage extraction terminal. However, the tab support plate 45 is not necessarily a metal material, such as a resin material. An insulating material may be used.

  In this embodiment, the case 31 and a lid (not shown) attached to the case 31 constitute a “storage box”. However, the storage box may be formed of only the case 31.

  In the present embodiment, the battery cell 20 whose outer package is the exterior film 24 has been described as an example. However, as the battery cell 20, a battery element 23 (electric device) may be used by using a can instead of the exterior film 24. It may be an electrical device in which the element) is hermetically sealed. Although not described in detail in the above description, the battery element 23 used in the battery cell 20 is a lithium ion secondary battery, specifically, a positive electrode active such as lithium / manganese composite oxide or lithium cobalt oxide. A positive electrode plate coated with a substance on both surfaces such as aluminum foil and a negative electrode plate coated with a lithium-doped / undopeable carbon material on both surfaces such as copper foil are opposed to each other through a separator and contains a lithium salt. It may be impregnated with an electrolytic solution. However, in addition to the lithium ion secondary battery, the battery element 23 is a battery element for other types of chemical batteries such as a nickel metal hydride battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a lithium metal primary battery or a secondary battery, and a lithium polymer battery. Also good. Further, the battery element 23 is not limited to a laminated type, and a positive electrode side active electrode is formed by stacking a belt-like positive electrode side active electrode and a negative electrode side active electrode through a separator, and then compressing the same into a flat shape. And a wound type having a structure in which negative electrode side active electrodes are alternately laminated. Further, as the electric device element, one that stores and outputs electric energy, such as a capacitor element exemplified by a capacitor such as an electric double layer capacitor or an electrolytic capacitor, may be used.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the battery pack of this embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows a battery cell in the single-piece | unit state. FIG. 2 is a top view of a plurality of battery cells shown in FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which expands partially and shows the upper part side of the battery pack of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the tab support plate was attached to the case side wall. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the conventional battery pack.

Explanation of symbols

20 battery cell 21 frame 23 battery element 24 exterior film 25, 25a, 25b electrode tab 31 case 35 side wall 36 opening 38 loading port 39 fitting portion 45 tab support plate 45a long hole 50 battery pack 61 stepped bolt 62 coil spring 63 washer

Claims (6)

An electrical device in which sheet-like electrode tabs are drawn from both sides of the outer peripheral portion and a plurality of the stacked electrical devices are accommodated, and the electrode tabs extend outward. A storage box in which an opening is formed in a part of the peripheral wall, and a tab support plate that is formed longer than the width of the electrode tab and supports the tip side of the electrode tab extending from the opening. The tab support plate is an electrical device assembly that is attached to the peripheral wall of the storage box so as to cross the opening in the width direction of the electrode tab,
The tab support plate is an electric device assembly configured to be relatively movable in the width direction of the electrode tab with respect to the peripheral wall of the storage box. At both ends of the tab support plate, elongated holes with the width direction of the electrode tab as the longitudinal direction are formed,
2. The shaft member according to claim 1, further comprising: a shaft member that is passed through the elongated hole to attach the tab support plate to the peripheral wall; and a biasing member that biases the tab support plate toward the peripheral wall. Electrical device assembly.   The electric device assembly according to claim 2, wherein the biasing member is a coil spring fitted into the shaft member, and a washer is disposed between the coil spring and the tab support plate.   The electric device assembly according to claim 1, wherein the tab support plate is made of a conductive material. The electrical device is configured to store and output electrical energy, and an electrical device element to which the electrode tab is electrically connected, and an exterior film that forms a sealed space for housing the electrical device element And a frame that holds the peripheral edge of the exterior film,
The electric device assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an outer peripheral portion of the frame body and an inside of the storage box are configured to be fitted to each other. A plurality of electrical devices from which sheet-like electrode tabs are drawn out from both sides of the outer peripheral portion are configured to be accommodated in a stacked state, and an opening for extending the electrode tabs outward is provided on the peripheral wall. A storage box formed in part; and a tab support plate that is formed longer than the width of the electrode tab and extends from the opening to support the tip side of the electrode tab, The storage box structure is attached to the peripheral wall of the storage box so as to cross the opening in the width direction of the electrode tab of the electrical device disposed in the storage box,
The tab support plate is a storage box structure configured to be relatively movable in the width direction of the electrode tab with respect to the peripheral wall of the storage box in a state where the electrode tab is supported.

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